Dôn

This article is about the mythological Welsh figure. For other, see Don (disambiguation).

Dôn (Welsh pronunciation: [ˈdoːn]) is an ancestor figure in Welsh legend and literature. She is typically given as the mother of a group known as the "Children of Dôn", including Gwydion, Arianrhod, and Gilfaethwy, among many others. However, antiquarians of the early modern era generally considered Dôn a male figure.^[2]

Dôn
Ancestral Mother of the House of Dôn[1]
Major cult center	Wales
Gender	Female
Genealogy
Parents	Mathonwy
Siblings	Math fab Mathonwy and Goewin
Consort	Beli Mawr[1]
Offspring	Penarddun, Arianrhod, Amaethon, Gofannon, Gwydion, Gilfaethwy, and Nudd,
Equivalents
Irish	Danu

The House of Dôn

Mathonwy

Dôn

Math fab Mathonwy

Goewin

Gwydion

Gilfaethwy

Arianrhod

Gofannon

Amaethon

Dylan ail Don

Lleu Llaw Gyffes

Blodeuwedd

In addition, Bonedd yr Arwyr (the Gentry of the Heroes) gives an extended list of children, including Aidden, Cynan, Digant, Elawg, Elestron, Eunydd, Hedd, Hunawg, and Idwal.^[3]

In astronomy

Llys Dôn (literally "The Court of Dôn") is the traditional Welsh name for the constellation Cassiopeia. At least two of Dôn's children also have astronomical associations: Caer Gwydion ("The Castle of Gwydion") is the traditional Welsh name for the Milky Way, and Caer Arianrhod ("The Castle of Arianrhod") being the constellation of Corona Borealis.^[4]

Etymology & Proto-Indo-European Origins

Dôn has different etymological origins than the Irish Danu; while the former is perhaps a water goddess (cf. the Danube river and the Vedic Danu), Dôn more likely comes from ghdhonos, meaning "the earth." In this sense, she can be seen as the Welsh version of "dheghom" from Proto-Indo-European mythology, the primordial Earth Goddess from which all other gods originate. It has been suggested that, as a result, the Children of Dôn would be cognate to the Greek Titans.^[5]

See also

• The House of Llŷr
• Tuatha Dé Danann
• Danu (Irish goddess)
• Donn

Bibliography

• d'Este, Sorita; Rankine, David (2007). The Isles of the Many Gods: An A-Z of the Pagan Gods & Goddesses of Ancient Britain worshipped during the First Millennium through to the Middle Ages. Avalonia.

References

1. d'Este, Sorita; Rankine, David (2007). The Isles of the Many Gods: An A-Z of the Pagan Gods & Goddesses of Ancient Britain worshipped during the First Millennium through to the Middle Ages. Avalonia. p. 125.
2. Bartrum, Peter (1993). A Welsh Classical Dictionary: People in History and Legend up to about A.D. 1000 (PDF). Cardiff: The National Library of Wales. pp. 230–231. ISBN 978-0907158738. Retrieved 2016-11-26.
3. d'Este, Sorita; Rankine, David (2007). The Isles of the Many Gods: An A-Z of the Pagan Gods & Goddesses of Ancient Britain worshipped during the First Millennium through to the Middle Ages. Avalonia. p. 126.
4. Squire, Charles (2003). Celtic Myths and Legends. United Kingdom: Parragon. pp. 252–253. ISBN 9781842040157.
5. Koch, John T. (1989). "Some Suggestions and Etymologies Reflecting upon the Mythology of the Four Branches". Proceedings of the Harvard Celtic Colloquium. 9: 1-10.

External links

• The New Companion to the Literature of Wales, Meic Stephens.